


untitled age difference berrington

by Anderwarbler, jpetrakis



Category: Glee
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Boss/Employee Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:05:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18737758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anderwarbler/pseuds/Anderwarbler, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jpetrakis/pseuds/jpetrakis
Summary: Rachel, a 17-year old part-time waitress, encounters a mysterious older businessman dining alone one evening. She keeps her age a secret in order to pursue a relationship with him despite the dire consequences that may come of it.





	1. a generous tip

It had been a week since Rachel started her new job at _The French Room_ and she felt like she was slowly getting the hang of how to do the tasks she was taught during her training. Despite being mildly clumsy, it seemed she was a natural at dealing with the customers so far. Her only problem was that she was seemingly not fitting in too well with the other waitresses; they didn’t care too much for Rachel’s positive attitude or confident exterior. It wasn’t all that surprising to her, most people were threatened by her throughout her entire life. As usual, she slapped a smile on her face and killed them all with kindness but it seemingly made everything worse. Being an aspiring performer trying to make her way to New York, Rachel needed the money and she was not one to give up.

“I don’t get why they even hired her-- how’d she even make it through the interview? She’s so annoying.”

It wasn’t the first time Rachel had heard that. Closing her eyes tightly, she swallowed that feeling of sadness and plastered a smile across her face, and walked into the back with her table’s ticket.

“Howard, table six wants meatless meatballs, please and thank you,” she said to the chef before facing the two girls-- one a waitress, another her trainer-- who were just talking about her. “Hi ladies,” she said to them before leaving to go check on one of her tables, sighing heavily. “ _She’s so annoying,”_ she mocked under her breath before smiling again as she reached her table with a polite tone, asking how they were.

“Well, my name is Rachel and if you need anything at all just let me know,” she said sweetly, tucking her notepad into her apron. She lifted her gaze when she noticed the hostess guiding a man to a table in her section. He was tall and textbook handsome, and vaguely familiar but she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He followed the hostess hot on her heels, though the man was typing something on his phone.

As she approached the table, she tucked her brunette hair behind her ear and smiled at him. He looked important and expensive so a tip from him would be warmly welcomed. “ _Bonjour_ , and welcome, my name is Rachel and I’ll be taking care of you today. Could I get you started with a nice chardonnay or calamari or both?”

The man looked up from his phone and towards the waitress with a smile, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes creasing to show his age. He was considerably older than Rachel-- noted not just by his crow's feet but by the tiny streaks of grey in his slicked-back chestnut hair. “Just a glass of my usual chardonnay, please.” He narrowed his eyes a bit as if sizing Rachel up, though his smile didn't fade away. “Are you new here? I don't recognize you. Rachel…” He said the name to himself, as if trying to reach to the recesses of his brain to conjure up a memory.

Rachel gave a little nod. “Chardonnay, got it,” she said, jotting it down before lifting her gaze to the man, smiling at him. “Why yes, I am. I started about a week ago. Are you one of our regulars?”

The man chuckled a laugh that was deep yet smooth-- like honey. “Uh, yeah, I suppose you could call me that,” he leaned back in his chair a bit and extended a hand to her. “My name is Hunter. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Rachel.”

A slight blush tinted the girl’s cheeks as she reached to shake his hand; she found it slightly odd that the customer would introduce himself so formally but she found it charming nonetheless. “The pleasure is mine, Hunter.”

Behind Rachel, out of her field of vision, another waitress suddenly looked over to their table, considerably flustered. She rushed over and as calmly as possible and physically put herself between the two. “Oh my god, I'm _so_ sorry Mr. Clarington!”

Rachel raised her eyebrows, taking a step back as she was surprised at the sudden interruption.

The senior waitress continued on, “Um, she's, like, new, and I can wait on you instead to make sure everything--” This caused Rachel’s brow to furrow in confusion; she’d barely spoken to the man for thirty seconds.

“Now wait, Ava,” Hunter interrupted, holding up a finger towards her. She very quickly shut up and looked between the two, unsure of what to do next. “Rachel hasn't even been given a chance to screw up my drink order.” With a soft chuckle, he smiled again and turned his head to speak to Rachel. She raised her eyebrows, paying very close attention to what the man said next. “Tonight, my palate is in your hands. With my chardonnay, I'll eat whatever it is you'd recommend. Think you can manage?” he shot a look at Ava then, almost as if just waiting for a reaction.

With a tiny yet smug grin on her face, Rachel glanced at Ava before turning her attention to the man. “I think I can handle that just fine.” She thought it over briefly before writing something else down on the pad. “I’ll bring your chardonnay out right away, sir.”

Hunter nodded, though had a curious look towards her notepad. “What are you going to recommend?” he asked.

Rachel was just about to make her exit towards the kitchen when Hunter’s voice stopped her, his question making her grin grow just slightly. “Oh, it’s a surprise; you’ll see,” she crinkled her nose at him with a slight giggle before slipping her pen into her apron and turning on her heel to disappear into the kitchen.

Ava looked on at this exchange, a tense smile on her face. It was obvious despite her grin that she was infuriated with Rachel's attitude.

“Oh, a _surprise--_ I see,” Hunter just chuckled to himself, loosening his necktie a bit as he pulled out his phone to resume whatever work he was doing earlier.

“Hey Howard, can I get the _Le Gigot d'Agneau,_ please?” she said, clipping Hunter’s ticket onto the ticket holder.

Ava followed close by on Rachel’s heels as they went into the kitchen, overhearing the order. “Lamb?” You’re serving him lamb with _chardonnay_?” She shook her head. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“I think it’s the perfect pairing, actually. Not a lot of people know that,” Rachel said with a nod, turing to face her trainer. “I know what I’m doing, Ava. It’s okay,” she said in the sweetest, yet most condescending tone she could manage. “He’s going to love it,” she stated confidently before noticing a couple of plates ready and waiting to be delivered to a customer.

Ava narrowed her eyes at the girl and her overconfident attitude. “Whatever you say, Rach,” she rolled her eyes, knowing the girl would fall flat on her face in front of Hunter-- probably literally as well. She’d just sit back and enjoy the show; maybe Rachel would even get fired before the night was over.

With a tray loaded with a few plates, a glass of water, and Hunter’s chardonnay, Rachel headed out of the kitchen and into the restaurant to leave them at their tables. She delivered the food without fail, even making it back to Hunter’s table without tripping. “Chardonnay, and I brought you a glass of water as well. Is there anything else I can get you while you wait?”

Hunter looked up from his phone once again, this time inserting it into his inner-jacket pocket. “Thank you, Rachel. I’ll be just fine until you come back with my entrée.” Yet again, he offered up the same charming smile as she stopped at his table. He took a modest sip of his wine and seemed to like it judging from the satisfied look on his face.

The charming smile that graced the man’s face almost made Rachel weak in in the knees-- she figured this is how others felt in his presence and judging by his demeanor, he knew it. “Well, just call for me if you need anything at all.” She said with a sweet smile.

As she finished her exchange with Hunter, Rachel noticed one of her bigger tables leaving. “Excuse me one moment,” she politely said to him before taking her tray and wishing her customers farewell-- one of the rules she learned during training was that a table wasn’t to be left messy longer than necessary. Placing her tray down on the table, she loaded up the dirty glasses and plates. Normally Rachel wouldn’t attempt to carry such a hefty load at once, but she was feeling overconfident considering the exchange between the handsome customer and her supervisor; she believed she could handle it. It wasn’t until she was mid-fall after tripping over her own two feet that she realized her dire mistake. The plates thankfully seemed to bounce off the tray and floor without much damage but the glasses shattered into a giant mess around her as her face came in contact with the floor.  “Ouch,” she whined to herself.

Before Rachel could even find her bearings, a warm and firm hand found its way against her skin, supporting her upright. “Are you alright?” the concerned voice asked. When Rachel opened her eyes and looked up, there was the handsome customer again; except this time he was right beside her. “That was quite the tumble you took there, new girl.”

An uncomfortably warm blush spread deeply underneath her skin as she looked at Hunter, giggling nervously she quickly got onto her knees to begin gathering up the broken glass onto the tray. “God, how embarrassing. ”

“Careful there,” Hunter took the initiative to help her out, reaching out to collect the smaller bits of broken glass. It didn’t take very long at all for other staff members to help out, seeing that the customer of all people shouldn’t be doing the cleaning.

She pressed her hands against her warm cheeks for a moment to gather herself, taking a brief break from picking up her mess. “Sorry you had to witness that,” she giggled, mortified.

Before Rachel could say anything else, she heard her name being hissed between Ava’s teeth as she approached the dramatic scene. “Mr. Clarington, I am so sorry about all of this,” she said, the smile on her face clearly forced as she turned her attention to Rachel who was still on her knees, making sure no more glass was near. “Rachel, go take your break.” She’d had enough.

Rachel’s face feel as a wrinkle settled in her forehead. “What? Why? What about my tables?”

“I will take them over. You’ve done quite enough here,” she tried to chuckle as if she were joking but there wasn’t exactly any hints of humor in her tone, desperately trying to save face in front of Hunter.

Hunter stood up and tossed the broken glass into a trash can a busboy had brought to him. He’d listened with a silent, stoic face to the way Ava spoke to her co-worker. “Rachel, I’ll see you after you get back from your break. I’ll be waiting for you, so I hope your boss doesn’t keep me from my well-deserved meal for much longer,” he said in an even tone, smiling at the two of them before making his way back to his table.

Ava shook her head. “No need to worry, Mr. Clarington, I’ll bring out your dinner right away.”

Rachel helped herself up off the ground, shooting a thankful look to the others who had helped her out. Brushing off her knees, she lifted her gaze to the exchange happening in front of her. She found it a little odd the energy between the two but she also didn’t think much of it.

“Like I said,” Hunter stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Ava, square in her eyes, “ _Rachel_ , I look forward to seeing what you’ve chosen for my meal tonight.” His serious look was suddenly masked by a tight yet polite smile, as if trying to remain his exterior composure and patience.

The way the man has said her name made Rachel’s eyebrows raise, a tiny grin twitching at the corner of her mouth. “I-I’m I’m sorry, Hunter, I will check on that as soon as I’m done with break?” she said, her tone turning to a question as she looked at Ava.

“Go check on it _now_.” Ava commanded quickly. “Once again, _Mr. Clarington_ , I am very sorry about all of this.” The girl apologized for the last time before disappearing into the kitchen, visibly annoyed.

Rachel did as she was told but not before giving Hunter a polite nod. Going off into the kitchen, she noticed Hunter’s food being placed on the pass, steaming and waiting. However when she went to grab it, Ava stepped between her and the food. “Ava,” Rachel said, sighing and looking at her superior. “I’m really sorry about that, I didn’t mean to drop-”

She was cut off by Ava’s hand in her face. “Save it. Just try not to fuck anything else up here tonight, okay? Mr. Clarington is an important patron and if you piss him off then that’s it for you, sweet cheeks.”

Rachel frowned at the other, shaking her head. “I didn’t piss him off though? Hunter seems really nice.”

“ _Mr. Clarington_.”

“Alright, _Mr. Clarington._ ” Rachel repeated as Ava went away and Rachel was able to get the man’s food. Taking a deep breath, she carried the plate out carefully as to not have another clumsy incident. “Here we are, Mr. Clarington, _Le Gigot d'Agneau._ ” The French rolled off her tongue effortlessly as she sat the plate down in front of him. “In my opinion it’s our best dish and my fathers swear by it being the best pairing for chardonnay.”

Hunter had been waiting at his table and gave Rachel a polite smile when she brought him his food. “Interesting choice-- red meat with white wine,” he said, picking up the silver fork and taking the first juicy bite of food. The girl waited patiently with the small, smug smile on her face. She had no doubt in her mind that she’d made the right call. He made a sound with his mouth as if pleased with the selection before washing the bite down with a sip of his drink. “Your fathers know their wine; it's delicious. _Very_ delicious.” He wiped the corner of his mouth with a cloth napkin before looking back up to his waitress, her grin having grown since his comment. “And _Hunter_ will do; I thought we were on a first name basis here, Rachel,” he chuckled softly before taking another bite of his dinner.

Rachel giggled softly, clapping her hands gently out of excitement. “Oh, I _knew_ you would love it.” She bit on her bottom lip, glancing down as a blush faintly touching her cheeks as he said her name. Going with her gut rather than listening to Ava, she called him by his name again. “Sorry, _Hunter_ ,” she glanced around before leaning in. “My superior’s a _little_ uptight.” Rachel said through her teeth before letting out another soft chuckle, smoothing out her apron.

With that comment, Hunter let out a boisterous, genuine laugh. It must've caught him off-guard because he attempted to hide said laugh behind a closed fist. “ _Little_ is putting it modestly,” he commented.

“I hope you enjoy your meal; please let me know if I can get you anything else.” She lingered for maybe a little longer than necessary before turning to leave-- something about the man pulling her in like a magnet. With her back turned, she didn't notice his own lingering eyes.

Giving the man enough time to finish his meal and glass of wine, Rachel took care of her tables that were left before coming back to check on him once more, this time bringing the bottle of chardonnay to refill his glass. “How was it? Was I right or was I right?” She chuckled, giving him a sweet smile.

Hunter set down his fork atop the nearly cleaned-off dish. “Oh, you were definitely right; this was absolutely delicious. I can't wait to see what you recommend for me the next time I'm here.”

The smile on her face grew back into the smug little grin she had before. “Ah, so you’re gonna come back and see specifically me, huh?” she flirted subconsciously with him as she poured his wine.

“Well, I happen to frequent this place relatively often and you did so well today, why wouldn't I want a repeat of tonight?” he replied, winking in her direction.

A blush painted the girl’s cheeks pink when the man winked at her, causing her to glance down bashfully. “I think that I would like that, Hunter.” Rachel said honestly, biting on her bottom lip as she lifted her gaze to him. “I would like that very much, actually. You’ve been a pleasant part of my day.”

“Rachel!” Ava called condescendingly from the kitchen, causing the brunette’s eyes to roll internally. She was surely going to be reprimanded over _something_.

Rachel visibly deflated as she was pulled from her little bubble with Hunter. “Ugh, duty calls. I’ll be back.” She said before disappearing into the kitchen once more. “Yes, Ava?” She said once in front of the other girl.

“Listen, sweetie, I know this is your first job and you’re sort of ignorant to how things work here but this isn’t Chili’s Bar and Grill where you can just make a fool of yourself and flirt with the customers.”

The brunette’s forehead wrinkled and she shook her head. “I wasn’t flirting with him-- he was flirting with _me,_ first of all and--”

She was cut off by an amused laugh from Ava.

“Oh, honey.” Her tone was so condescending as she stepped closer to Rachel. “Don’t flatter yourself. Mr. Clarington is one of the most sought-after men around here and he doesn’t go for shrimps like you.” She pat Rachel on the head. “Now stop your backtalk, I’ll take care of Mr. Clarington’s ticket. You clean your tables; go home early.”

Rachel attempted to keep her composure as she was berated in front of the kitchen staff and she did so with grace before excusing herself to the bathroom to take a few deep breaths and have a small cry. The stress of the new job and trying her hardest to not mess up-- and then messing up so many times just to be yelled at like she was an idiot child was a lot to deal with for a seventeen year old at her first job.

After her moment in the bathroom, Rachel returned to find that Hunter was no longer at his table. The food had been finished off and the wine glass was empty. She proceeded to clear the table and picked up the man’s glass and plate, sniffling. She noticed a $100 bill that had been tucked underneath the plate.  


“Oh,” she said out loud, looking around to see if the man was still in view. When she realized he was long gone, she picked up the $100 bill and cautiously slipped it into her apron pocket with her other tips from the day. _Surely_ he hadn’t meant to leave that for her-- she would definitely have to return it to him. It was too big of a tip for such a small meal, it wouldn’t be right.  


She didn’t dare tell Ava about it either as she didn’t think she could trust the girl to do the right thing. No, _she_ had to return it and she would do it the next time he came in-- which she was very much looking forward to.


	2. underestimated

It had been about a week since Rachel’s first meeting with Hunter and it had been a long week of thinking of not much else other than him and that hundred dollar bill burning in her pocket. She took it to work with her every night with the hopes of seeing him-- every time the hostess brought someone to her table she got her hopes up just to be let down by people that weren’t him. She really needed to get a grip. Her week with Ava on her back had gone a little smoother as she decided to keep her head down and try her best not to piss the woman off again like she had the night Hunter was there; she wasn’t interested in being yelled at anymore.

It was the homestretch of Rachel's long closing shift when Hunter made his appearance. When he entered the restaurant, his eyes scanned the room and stopped on her. With a smile on his face and a look of familiarity, he said something to the hostess that was out of earshot from Rachel. It was about that time that she looked up from the table she was clearing, handing off some dishes to a busboy. A small grin spread across her face at the sight of the handsome man she’d been so eager to see again. She watched as Hunter took his seat at the same table he last sat at and the hostess came walking up to her.

“Mr. Clarington is asking for _you_ to wait on him.” The hostess’ expression was unreadable but no sooner had she uttered those words, she was walking over to the manager to share the news.

Raising her eyebrows, she couldn’t help the smile growing on her face as she wiped her hands on her apron, glancing around at her other tables to make sure they would be settled for the few moments that she wanted to give Hunter her undivided attention. He said he’d be back and wanted her and sure enough there he was, asking for her. Tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, she approached the other’s table. “Well, fancy seeing you here,” she said with a slight nose crinkle. “Man of his word, I like it.”

Hunter had been fiddling on his phone before she approached him, but suddenly all his attention was on the girl. “Well, I _am_ a gentleman, after all,” he boasted teasingly. “I told you last time that I'd be coming back so here I am.”

The girl let out a soft chuckle and glanced down in a flirtatious manner. “I’m glad you’re back. It’s nice to have a friendly face around here.” Rachel said before remembering the hundred dollars weighing heavily in her apron. “Oh! Hey,” she glanced around briefly. “Last time you were here, I think you left this by mistake.” Rachel discreetly pulled the hundred dollar bill out of her pocket and placed it on the table.

Hunter's eyes followed as Rachel pulled out the note. He furrowed his brow and gave a little frown, “No, I don't think so. Maybe it was some other attractive patron you have me confused with. You're a sweet waitress so it was probably a well-deserved tip.” He continued to feign ignorance, though he wasn't a very good liar. Picking up the hundred dollar bill, he slid it into the pocket of her apron.

Rachel furrowed her own brow in mild confusion as the man claimed he hadn’t left it, it taking a beat for it to settle in that he wasn’t telling the truth. Shaking her head, Rachel blushed. “Hunter, I can’t accept such a tip,” she said, slipping her own hand into her apron.

“How about this, then,” Hunter began his proposal, leaning back a bit in his seat. “I’d like to drink some of your finest wine-- whatever you think is the best in this whole restaurant. You seem to have a keen eye for wine pairings so I assume you know your way around a wine cellar. You can use that hundred to pay for the wine and keep the rest as your tip… Deal? That’s my best and final offer.”

Rachel sucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she kept her eyes trained on the man in front of her, laying out his offer in front of her. He was clearly not budging on giving her such an extravagant tip, and he clearly didn’t know how stubborn she could be as well. “I know just the wine.” She gave him a little grin accompanied by a quirk of her eyebrow before she turned on her heel to disappear off into the wine cellar. She didn’t waste any time, knowing exactly where the bottle of wine was located. Rachel settled the bottle in the bucket of ice and grabbed a glass before heading out with a confident smile on her face. “Here we are, a bottle of our best wine and coincidentally our most expensive on the menu.” She said, taking the bottle out of the bucket to present it to him as she had been trained. “ _Amarone Bertani.”_ Her smile turned a little smug as she reached into her apron for the bottle opener. “I believe that this bottle, considering the year, costs about one hundred and twenty dollars.” Rachel explained as she popped open the bottle and began to pour the liquid into his glass.

Hunter’s eyebrows rose with intrigue and mild surprise at Rachel’s selection. “ _Wow_ ,” he exclaimed with an amused laugh as he gently slapped the tabletop. “Yes, I am aware of this wine and its price… I see that I clearly underestimated you, Rachel.” He picked up the glass and took a sip of the expensive wine, savoring the taste. When he set the glass back down, he looked up at the waitress. “If this is a precursor for the rest of the evening, color me excited.”

Rachel chuckled softly as he admitted to underestimating her. “That tends to happen quite a bit around here,” she said, nodding her head nonchalantly towards Ava who was standing just inside the kitchen, keeping an obvious eye on Rachel. “But no matter, I don’t take it personally. I’m much more than most people think; you just gotta get to know me,” she said, placing the bottle back into the ice and smoothing out her apron. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get your dinner order in,” she said without even asking him what he wanted, giving him a tiny grin before turning and leaving before he could say anything.

  


When she returned from the floor of the restaurant to check on her other tables, she glanced towards Hunter; it was obvious by the look on his face that he was waiting for her to return. A tiny smile graced her face as she made her way to his table.

“So, what I’d like to know is how a girl as clever and charming as yourself is doing waiting tables in a restaurant like this?” he said to her as she approached.

A soft chuckle fell from her lips as she glanced down. “I don’t know,” Rachel gave a single shoulder shrug. “I can’t get out of this town without money and this was the highest paying job I could manage to get around here-- which is decent,” she offered, smiling at Hunter. “Manhattan is expensive and if I’m going to make it there before I’m thirty years old, I have to save a lot of money.”

Hunter gave a nod as he listened, quirking a brow as if he was thinking of something. Whatever that thought might’ve been, it seemed he kept it to himself. “Is it Broadway that you’re aiming for? Are you a performer?”

When the man mentioned Broadway, Rachel’s face lit up. “How did you know?” she grinned, nodding her head confidently. “Yes, I am a performer. I’ve been a performer since I was a toddler,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s my life.”

“Wow, your life,” he smiled at her. “Well, I wish you the best in your endeavours to get there. I’ll have to keep an eye out for your name… I sometimes travel to New York and if I have the time I like to catch a show. I know I’d _definitely_ watch a show if you were in it.”

Rachel blushed at Hunter’s words, she could feel the sincerity in his voice. “Yeah? Well, I wouldn’t blame you. I’m quite talented,” she winked at him before she glanced up towards the kitchen. “I gotta go do my rounds and bring out some food before I get fired,” she giggled, biting her lip. “I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, don’t let me keep you from your work,” he replied, unbothered by the fact that she had to run off again. “I’ll be right here.”

Rachel disappeared into the kitchen once again after having checked on her few tables, only to be greeted by Ava.

“Rachel, you really shouldn’t be bothering the customers so much. You have a job to do-- there’s no need to be hovering over one specific table so much. Mr. Clarington is a very busy man and you don’t want to waste his time.”

The shorter looked at Ava with a furrowed brow. “I don’t think I’m wasting anything, if anything I’m keeping him here. Hunter likes me-- he requested for _me_ , didn’t you hear?” she asked with an innocent tone, quirking one of her eyebrows.

Ava didn’t have a clever response or anything that would make her seem to have the upper hand in this conversation so she settled on huffing out a command, “Don’t backtalk, get back to work.”

Rachel shook her head and let out a soft sigh before moving to grab food for some of her tables. The quicker she caught up, the quicker she could spend more time talking to Hunter.

A bit of time had passed until she could finally make it back to spend time with her debonair customer, who by then finished his meal and was just waiting to be given his bill.

His face lit up when she approached the table. “There you are,” he greeted her with a smile. “I see it’s a busy night for you. Not flirting with other customers, are you? I kind of like having you all to myself…” He fiddled with the corner of his cloth napkin for a beat before speaking again. “I think the solution would be if we saw each other outside of this domain-- where you don’t have to be waiting on me.”

Rachel couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her as he teased her about flirting with the other customers. “Of course not, I wouldn’t dare.” She flirted with him, a few butterflies flitting around in her stomach. They became more intense when the man suggested they see each other someplace other than the restaurant and a deep blush warmed her cheeks. “I’m sorry, are you asking me on a date?” she tilted her head as she smiled at him.

Hunter simply smiled a toothy grin when she tilted her head. He gave a slight nod and there was air of confidence about him that was incredibly attractive. Not a hint of hesitation was detected as he opened his mouth to answer her question. “Would that be so bad? I think your uniform is cute and all, but I’d much rather see you when you’re not working.”

Her blush only deepened and she let out a nervous chuckle. “It wouldn’t be bad at all, I’d love to,” Rachel said with a grin she couldn’t wipe from her face. “Here.” Reaching into her apron she pulled out her order pad and a pen, scribbling down her number for him before tearing it off and placing it on the table. “Here’s my number, I get off at nine. Oh, and here’s your bill, too.” She giggled, placing his bill on the table next to her number.  

Just as Hunter was reaching for the bill and her number, Ava made a rushed beeline from the kitchen straight towards Rachel. Without even apologizing to Hunter, she pulled Rachel away from the table and exclaimed with a hushed voice, “Rachel, what the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?!” Ava looked equal parts angry and mortified, unable to even process what had just happened. “You’re done for the night. Just-- god, just close up your tables and stop _whoring yourself_ out to your customers!”

Ava left without allowing Rachel to respond, leaving her to get back to the kitchen. Standing there, dumbfounded with her mouth open a little, Rachel shook her head.

“Rachel,” the man called out to the waitress now that Ava was out of sight. Her attention snapped back to Hunter- if he had heard anything that Ava had just said to her, there was no indication of it. “Are you working on Friday? If you are, I can pick you up after your shift.”

Her smile returned almost immediately, glancing to make sure Ava was gone. “Yeah, Friday is perfect,” she agreed with a nod, biting on her lip as she turned to tend to a table calling her name.

“Friday is it, then.” With a smile and an assured nod, Hunter waved goodbye to her.

When Rachel returned to Hunter’s table, he was no longer there. Instead, there was an empty chair and money to pay his bill. She chuckled to herself when she saw the normal amount of cash sitting on the table, gathering it up and going off to the computer to close out his check and pay it.

“Hey, what’re you doing? Isn’t that Mr. Clarington’s ticket?” One of Rachel’s co-workers, another waiter, was being nosy and had been looking over her shoulder as she entered Hunter’s bill into the system.

“Yeah, why?” she asked, looking at him curiously.

“You don’t close him out like that; since he’s the owner, we give the bill to Ava so she can get it to the GM. He’s the owner of the restaurant so he doesn’t pay when he eats here.”

Rachel stopped what she was doing and raised her eyebrows. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked, shaking her head. “He’s the _owner_?” she looked down at the cash in her hands. “But if he doesn’t have to pay why..?” She looked a little dumbfounded once again.

He pointed to the money in Rachel’s hand, seemingly amused with her reaction. “That’s _yours_. The money he leaves is always a tip for the waitstaff. Wait, you didn’t know he was the owner?”

At that moment, Ava stuck herself into the conversation with a superfluous chuckle. “Of course she doesn’t even know the man she’s _whoring_ herself out to is the owner. Gee, I mean, I knew you weren’t the brightest but _wow_ ,” she rolled her eyes, taking it upon herself to take Hunter’s bill out of Rachel’s hand so she could take care of it. “God,” she scoffed as she passed by the two waiters, leaving them alone.

Rachel frowned towards Ava and then looked at her co-worker. “You’d think she’d be nicer to someone who the boss clearly _likes_.” She muttered to herself.

 


End file.
